Saturday, April 11, 2015

“We don’t want to be imprisoned by the past,” Obama said during a visit to Kingston, Jamaica. “When something doesn’t work for 50 years, you don’t just keep on doing it. You try something new.” – Barack Obama, April 9, 2015

In that case, is it time to revisit “The Great Society” as well?

Detroit leadership, exclusively Democratic since 1962

“If Mayors Jerome Cavanagh and Roman Gribbs had cut the workforce in the 1960s and early 1970s as the population and property values dropped. If Mayor Dennis Archer hadn’t added more than 1,100 employees in the 1990s when the city was flush but still losing population. If Kilpatrick had shown more fiscal discipline and not launched a borrowing spree to cover operating expenses that continued into Mayor Dave Bing’s tenure. Over five decades, there were many ‘if only’ moments.” -Detroit Free Press

No, we will continue to double down on stupid because stupid is as stupid does.

Although with this box of chocolates, we always know what we’re going to get.

Big Guy seals the deal with Raul, April 10, 2015

“Obama not only abandoned long-standing U.S. policy, he also denounced it, giving the (Castro) regime a huge propaganda victory.”

So it looks like we just continue this long, slow dance with the devil,

Until such time as we hang up the Obama dancing shoes

and put on our big girl dancing shoes and get out there and kick some butt all over the dance floor.

Friday, April 10, 2015

“And the reason I don't put it at a 10 is because you can always improve something," he said in an interview with ABC News published Wednesday.

It’s because it’s magnificence hasn’t been fully actualized yet. Watch out when that happens! Until then let’s just say it’s one of the more interesting applications of the 80/20 rule: having achieved 20% of the desired results we’re taking 80% of the credit.

Or the continuation of long spell of grade inflation, first noted in 2009, when Barry was invited by Oprah to grade himself on his first year in office. Like the amateur he was at the time, he took the bait instead of deferring that task to the American people who elected him:

Interestingly, he gave himself an “Incomplete” on the economy in 2012, which is the same grade he gave in 2010 and 2011. I guess the American people felt that one term was long enough to complete that incomplete, so - judging from the Midterm election results – they gave him an F.

That must have gotten his attention, because by this year, and all evidence to the contrary, Big Guy “upgraded” his accomplishments to a good solid A-.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)—To hear the White House tell it, the November elections never happened and 2014 was a super-duper year for President Obama.

In a “Year in Review” slideshow, the White House suggests 2014 represented a “breakthrough” for America. The Obama administration takes credit for:

An economy growing at a record pace;

The longest streak of private-sector job growth on record;

The number of Americans without health insurance falling to a near record low;

Concerted action to prevent sexual assaults on college campuses;

The highest high school graduation rate in the nation’s history;

Historic steps to reduce carbon pollution in the U.S. and around the world;

Checking the Ebola outbreak, Russian aggression in Ukraine and the ISIL terrorist group in the Mideast.

Unfortunately for the Democrats, the public wasn't quite as enthusiastic about all the progress in 2014. They handed control of the Senate to Republicans in November for the first time since 2006 and gave conservatives their biggest House majority since 1928.

Butt there is good news here: lowered standards, combined with grade inflation and marking on a curve means that anybody reelly (sic) can grow up to be president.

Of course it has now been revealed that the quote attributed to Maya wasn’t actually hers:

“Her stamp features the phrase, “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song,” which the USPS attributed to Angelou—though the direct quote may actually be from a different author.”

Normally that would be embarrassing, butt hey - it’s Washington! What do you expect, real quotes?

In fact I understand there is going to be a whole series of Maya stamps; all of which will contain things she didn’t say:

The last time Lady M saw Maya Angelou before her death was in 2012 when she presented her with a BET lifetime literary achievement award:

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

It’s official, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul are running for president. Okay by me, as they both meet my number one criteria for presidential candidates these days: neither is related to a former president or former presidential nominee (former presidential candidates who never stood a chance with their own party don’t count in this round).

With her not only would we get more of the Bubba-sphere, butt now we’d get more of the Obama-sphere as well. Does America want to see Hilz on the Jimmy Fallon show performing the evolution of grandma dancing?

Which brings me to Meghan McCain; no she hasn’t announced that she’s running. I would just like to preempt the possibility In the event she considers it a future option. I think this Tweet alone should preclude any serious consideration:

Meghan, Meghan, Meghan; did your father not explain the point of the phrase “question authority?”

And you do know that science is premised on the notion of questioning things you think you know for sure, don’t you?

No, of course you don’t; you have a degree in art history. Which may qualify you to be a “personality” who Tweets about important things you know nothing about, butt does not quite measure up to presidential standards. Or at least it shouldn’t. However – and at the risk of being accused of being part of the War On Women (WOW) - I would volunteer that Meghan seems to have the fashion sense required to be a FLOTUS some day.

WOW!

Because once you know what styles look good on you, you’re good to go. I have that on the authority of two former, highly successful FLOTUSes.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

In case you didn’t have time to watch, yesterday’s Spring Sphere Roll was awesome! Big Guy improved his stats over 100% compared to last year’s hoops performance ( 2-for-9 - or 22.2% - vs. 2-for-22 or 9.1% last year)!

Although there was “a moment” as the press pool reported, when the basketball “very lightly hit POTUS in the face when he was standing under the basket catching rebounds.” As anyone around here can tell you, hitting Big Guy upside the head is still the best way to get his attention.

Incoming!

Basketballs weren’t the only incoming projectiles at the festivities; somebody forgot to round up the White House bees and they escaped during Big Guy’s reading of “Where the Wild Things Are,” terrorizing the little children.

When bees attack!

Good grief, all that squealing! It sounded like the time Lady M scared the Peeps at the 2010 Easter Spring Sphere Roll:

Which was nearly as scary as when Queen Bees attack:

Butt enough about ‘Wild Thangs’ let’s discuss something a bit weightier: lying in journalism. The Rolling Stone’s fraudulent story about the gang rape by the UVA fraternity demonstrated such a reckless disregard for facts, you’d almost think they were reporting on something really important, like Big Guy’s birth certificate.

The whole sordid incident makes you wonder what they teach in journalism school these days. Clearly history, research, and fact checking are no longer a part of the curriculum. For example, check out this Politico story from yesterday:

“Kentucky hasn’t had a serious presidential contender since Henry Clay [1844], and, across the state, the idea that its 52-year-old junior senator, Rand Paul, will enter the 2016 race this week has his party’s faithful fired up.”

President Abraham Lincoln - famously born in a log cabin in Kentucky – and elected president in the 1860 election may take issue with Mr. Youngman’s contention that there hasn’t been a “serious” contender since 1844. Then again, if Mr. Lincoln was still around I imagine that is the least of which he might take issue with.

Monday, April 6, 2015

Friday night, Seder dinner in the newly renovated Old Family Dining Room:

That’s Val-Jar, infamous supporter of all things secularly Jewish, seated at the head of the table under the equally infamous color wheel painting. I see David Axelrod is still on the A-list, which means his “tell-all” book was thoroughly vetted by the White House before release. And nice flowers by our new flower lady!

As you can see, they’re much less “fussy” than those done by our old flower lady - seen here at previous Big White Seders:

That’s Jen Psaki, above, at the 2010 Seder sitting next to Big Guy. In case you were wondering, yes; she’s started her new job as Big White communications director.

Congratulations! Jen’s Psaking a baby!

Yesterday the whole family checked out yet another church in the area when they attended a “boisterous” Easter servicesat historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia.

Official Spring Holiday Family Portrait

I’ve sort of lost count butt I think this makes the 7th or 8th church we’ve test driven since we arrived in D.C.. We still haven’t located the one that’s “Wright” for us.

Any hoo, I’ve got to run and help with yet another fun Spring Holiday Roll, now getting under way. As usual, all the egg heads and bunny ears will be in attendance, so don’t miss it.

UPDATE: Included in this year’s ear collection: bat ears. That’s right,Kamilah the flying fox bat will be terrorizing greeting the little children as they arrive for the spring sphere roll.

Ron Mies, executive director of the Organization for Bat Conservation and Kamilah’s spokesman will explain bats’ role in the ecosystem as important pollinators of bananas and the cacao plant, neither of which grow in the United States butt are huge cash crops for our citizens south of our former border.